Featured Sessions

SB-CEU
Primary Subject: Assessment & Curriculum
Interest Level: Early Elementary, Late Elementary, Middle Level High School, College (K-7, K-16)

Looking for ways to increase achievement for ALL students in your classrooms? Explore current brain and learning research coupled with best practices based on today's educational research. Practical ways to share these strategies with students will be modeled and tips for success will be provided.

NOTE: Must pre-register. To register, contact the MSTA Office @734-973-0433.

If requesting SB-CEU's, must be done in conjunction with the MSTA conference on Friday and Saturday. This session only offers 3 hours of contact or .3 SB-CEU's. In order to qualify for a certificate, you are required to have a minimum of 5 contact hours (.5).

Primary Subject: General Science
Interest Level: Early Elementary, Late Elementary, Middle Level

Did you know that there are only two kinds of energy? Do you think stored energy and potential energy are the same thing (they're not)? Why do we even teach energy concepts? For that matter, what exactly is energy? Learn the answers to these questions in a hands-on workshop designed to increase your understanding.

Bill Robertson is a science education writer, teaches online math for the University of Phoenix, reviews and edits science materials, and conducts teacher in-service workshops at school districts around the country. Bill is a former college physics instructor who became involved in research in cognitive science and human learning. He has published articles on conceptual understanding in physics, constructivism, and the Learning Cycle. He began writing and conceptualizing K-8 science curriculum for Biological Sciences Curriculum Study in 1987.

After five years with BSCS, Bill performed the same duties with the US Space Foundation and then began working with the Wild Goose Company, helping schools incorporate Wild Goose materials, revising many of their teacher resources, helping conceptualize and write award-winning science kits, and performing teacher workshops across the country.

Bill is now an independent contractor and author of the NSTA Press best-selling series, Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It. He is a work-at-home dad who coaches his kids in soccer and basketball and keeps them home when they decide to be sick. Bill has a Master's degree in physics from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in science education from the University of Colorado.

Primary Subject: Assessment
Interest Level: Early Elementary, Late Elementary, Middle Level, High School

A presentation on K-7 Science Content Expectation Clarification and presentation on K-7 and High School Science Content Expectation of Knowledge.

Come join your fellow teachers and administrators as they honor teachers from across Michigan who have been nominated to receive the Michigan Science Teachers Associations Teacher of the Year Award. These nominations come from individuals who have seen the value, sacrifice, and dedication that the awardees have given to their teaching careers. They come from all levels of education; Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, and Administrators.

Also presented will be the George G. Mallinson Award and the Michigan Science Teachers Associations Distinguished Service Award.

The George G. Mallinson Award is for Lifetime Achievement in the Field of Science Education. This is an ongoing recognition of Dr. Mallinson's contributions to science education and to the Michigan Science Teachers Association. The award is the highest MSTA can bestow to an individual for contributions to science education.

The Distinguished Service award is presented to the individual the Michigan Science Teachers Board has nominated for unselfish devotion and dedicated service... "to stimulate, support, and provide leadership for the improvement of science education throughout Michigan."

The Awards luncheon is sponsored in part by Pearson Curriculum.

Primary Subject: Environmental Education, General Science
Interest Level: Early Elementary, Late Elementary, Middle Level, High School, College

Sustainability may be the most important "big idea" of our time, with the potential to harness the best in human ingenuity and innovation. What new competencies will be required by students to participate in this emerging design revolution? This presentation will explore the unique challenges and opportunities of education for a green economy.

Dr. Kirk Bergstrom is founder and President of WorldLink, a media and education group based in San Francisco, California. In this capacity, he has directed special projects for the National Science Foundation, PBS, Walt Disney Imagineering, and State of the World Forum, California Science Center, and Tech Museum of Innovation.

Currently, Kirk is completing a new PBS special entitled Nourish: Food + Community which explores the possibilities of a sustainable food system. He also directed the award-winning PBS program Power Shift: Energy + Sustainability and a companion traveling exhibit. Kirk received two national Emmy Awards for his film Spaceship Earth: Our Global Environment.

Dr. Bergstrom also serves as principal investigator of a NSF-funded project entitled Interactive Earth: Tools for Earth System Science. A digital mapping tool, the program includes more than 100 global data sets and an interdisciplinary curriculum organized around real-world issues. He also designed the Eye on Earth multimedia exhibit which explores the art and science of remote sensing.

Kirk's work in interactive media originated in 1982 with the critically-acclaimed Los Angeles TeleVote, one of the first large-scale experiments in teledemocracy. In 1985, he was invited by Walt Disney Imagineering to participate in designing future interactive facilities and exhibits for the EPCOT theme park in Florida. From 1992-96, Kirk served as Executive Director of the Global Youth Summit, a week-long educational program that brings together young leaders from around the world. Convened in Rio de Janeiro during the 1992 Earth Summit and later in San Francisco as part of the State of the World Forum, the Global Youth Summit has served youth from over 40 nations.

Kirk earned a B.A. degree in Cinema Production from the University of Southern California, a M.A. in Futures Studies from the University of Hawaii, and a graduate certificate in Telecommunications Planning from the East-West Center's Institute of Culture and Communication. He received his Doctorate in Education from the University of San Francisco.

Primary Subject: General Science
Interest Level: Early Elementary, Late Elementary, Middle Level

Hands-on activities help you understand everything from basic electric and magnetic interactions to the intimate connection between the two. You'll also view nifty software (available free!) for investigating electric circuits. Lame jokes promised.

Bill Robertson is a science education writer, teaches online math for the University of Phoenix, reviews and edits science materials, and conducts teacher in-service workshops at school districts around the country. Bill is a former college physics instructor who became involved in research in cognitive science and human learning. He has published articles on conceptual understanding in physics, constructivism, and the Learning Cycle. He began writing and conceptualizing K-8 science curriculum for Biological Sciences Curriculum Study in 1987.

After five years with BSCS, Bill performed the same duties with the US Space Foundation and then began working with the Wild Goose Company, helping schools incorporate Wild Goose materials, revising many of their teacher resources, helping conceptualize and write award-winning science kits, and performing teacher workshops across the country.

Bill is now an independent contractor and author of the NSTA Press best-selling series, Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It. He is a work-at-home dad who coaches his kids in soccer and basketball and keeps them home when they decide to be sick. Bill has a Master's degree in physics from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in science education from the University of Colorado.

Primary Subject: Assessment
Interest Level: Early Elementary, Late Elementary, Middle Level, High School

Workshop on preparing valid and reliable science tests from item writing through test preparation. An audience interactive session.

Primary Subject: Environmental Education, General Science
Interest Level: Early Elementary, Late Elementary, Middle Level, High School, College

Sustainability may be the most important "big idea" of our time, with the potential to harness the best in human ingenuity and innovation. What new competencies will be required by students to participate in this emerging design revolution? This presentation will explore the unique challenges and opportunities of education for a green economy.

Dr. Kirk Bergstrom is founder and President of WorldLink, a media and education group based in San Francisco, California. In this capacity, he has directed special projects for the National Science Foundation, PBS, Walt Disney Imagineering, and State of the World Forum, California Science Center, and Tech Museum of Innovation.

Currently, Kirk is completing a new PBS special entitled Nourish: Food + Community which explores the possibilities of a sustainable food system. He also directed the award-winning PBS program Power Shift: Energy + Sustainability and a companion traveling exhibit. Kirk received two national Emmy Awards for his film Spaceship Earth: Our Global Environment.

Dr. Bergstrom also serves as principal investigator of a NSF-funded project entitled Interactive Earth: Tools for Earth System Science. A digital mapping tool, the program includes more than 100 global data sets and an interdisciplinary curriculum organized around real-world issues. He also designed the Eye on Earth multimedia exhibit which explores the art and science of remote sensing.

Kirk's work in interactive media originated in 1982 with the critically-acclaimed Los Angeles TeleVote, one of the first large-scale experiments in teledemocracy. In 1985, he was invited by Walt Disney Imagineering to participate in designing future interactive facilities and exhibits for the EPCOT theme park in Florida. From 1992-96, Kirk served as Executive Director of the Global Youth Summit, a week-long educational program that brings together young leaders from around the world. Convened in Rio de Janeiro during the 1992 Earth Summit and later in San Francisco as part of the State of the World Forum, the Global Youth Summit has served youth from over 40 nations.

Kirk earned a B.A. degree in Cinema Production from the University of Southern California, a M.A. in Futures Studies from the University of Hawaii, and a graduate certificate in Telecommunications Planning from the East-West Center's Institute of Culture and Communication. He received his Doctorate in Education from the University of San Francisco.

SB-CEU
Primary Subject: Physics, General Science
Interest Level: Early Elementary, Late Elementary

The study of sound and light should be fun and exciting for your students! In this workshop, you will become acquainted with the basic principles of sound and light through a series of interactive experiences that you can easily replicate in your own classroom. These standards-based, student-centered activities are designed to promote conceptual understanding through active student engagement. Each participant will go home with several "make-and-take" devices that students and teachers alike will enjoy using in the study of sound and light.

Primary Subject: Earth Science
Interest Level: Early Elementary, Late Elementary, Middle Level, High School, College

This will be a presentation on how to implement Michigan Green Schools in any school. The new ideas emerging to make good environmental stewards of Michigan youth and new methods to do this. Brief background of history also.

SB-CEU
Primary Subject: Physics, General Science
Interest Level: Early Elementary, Late Elementary

Do you want to have fun teaching force, motion and energy while promoting conceptual understanding? With an emphasis on exploration and experimentation, this workshop will examine inquiry-based methods of introducing the concepts of force, motion and energy to your students. Specifically, you will learn how to incorporate standards-based, student-centered activities that use low-and no-cost apparatus in your science lessons. During the workshop you will produce several "make-and-take" devices that are sure to be a hit with your students.

Primary Subject: Assessment
Interest Level: Early Elementary, Late Elementary, Middle Level, High School

A presentation on K-7 Science Content Expectation Clarification and presentation on K-7 and High School Science Content Expectation of Knowledge.